Yes, I’m vegan, and here’s why
In February of 2008, I decided to stop eating animal products. In the two and half years since then, I have embraced a whole foods, plant-based diet. I have also answered some form of the question “What are your reasons...
In search of root causes of hunger
One thing we at ELCA World Hunger try to study and teach others about is the root causes of hunger. I have been keeping up with Jubilee USA’s blog, and have been thinking a lot about one root cause of...
No jungle, no guide, no carbon-offset credits
I’m on vacation. I’m having a great time. And it’s surprisingly sustainable. Sustainable travel or green travel are expensive-sounding terms that imply vacations in exotic places like Bhutan or Costa Rica, places with jungles or peaks or dangerous rivers, places...
In critique of “being the hands and feet of Christ”
I wanna be Your hands I wanna be Your feet I’ll go where You send me I’ll go where You send me I’ll be Your hands I’ll be Your feet I’ll go where You send me I’ll go where You...
Reflections on Peace
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” –Mother Teresa I am a big fan of quotes and this is one that is particularly powerful to me. It is one that...
Movie Mondays
Guns, Germs, and Steel, 2005 (165 minutes) Based on the book by Jared Diamond of the same name, Guns, Germs, and Steel presents Diamond’s theory of why poverty is experienced in some places more than others. The film explores how...
Beech Bread
My mother loves to bake; from fruit pies to Swedish pastries her two ovens provide the best parts of Holiday meals. Ever since I can remember, one of my favorite recipes of hers has been Beech Bread. Until last week...
Joining the conversation about food aid
Last week one of the items of “Top Hunger News” featured on Bread for the World’s blog was this video, recently released by NPR, explaining the unintended impact that giving away free food has had on the local economy in...
What is poverty anyway?
As I was doing research for a paper I am writing on gender and development, I ran across an intriguing definition of the word poverty. Through my classes in college and my work at ELCA World Hunger I have done...
Smitten and trying to respond
“He smote the bank!” cackles Jean Stapleton, after John Travolta, as the archangel Michael, casually unleashes a bolt of lightning in the movie “Michael.” Earthquakes, oil spills, floods, droughts—there’s a lot of smiting going on, and a lot of preparing...